2016 Toyota Prius v

On [XXX] at [XXX] I was backing out of a driveway when my 2016 Prius V5 accelerated on its own. When I applied the brakes, nothing happened. I hit a curb, which flattened the front passenger tire. In order to get the car to stop, I took it out of gear and put it in neutral. The car finally came to a stop. My speed while backing out of the driveway was less than 5 mph. It accelerated to about 15 mph. I was told that because the tire flattened due to the force of impact with the curb, Toyota considered it an accident. Toyota had me complete an "Unintended Acceleration" form so they could investigate the situation. A case number ([XXX]) was assigned. I was also told that I needed to contact Toyota's Brand Engagement Center at (800) 331-4331. Toyota assigned Engineering Analysis Associates (EAA) to perform a thorough inspection and read out the Event Data Recorder (EDR) of my vehicle at Findlay Toyota. Anne Chapman with EAA did the inspection and sent a copy of the report to me on 09/15/25, the day of the inspection. She suggested that I keep the copy because I may need it if I needed to contact an attorney. My insurance company, USAA, sent an adjuster to examine the extent of the damage. Findlay Collision Center completed the repairs on 09/26/25, which cost $3,433.92. The accelerator nor the brakes were addressed. On 10/09/25, Toyota provided a response to the incident: they were not at fault. They claimed operator error. Unintended acceleration and unresponsive brakes have been an issue with Toyota's in the past. At that time, instead of fixing the problem, they told dealerships to educate their buyers on how to take the car out of gear. Approximately one week after picking up my car from the repair shop, the vehicle accelerated on its own again. Fortunately, the brakes worked this time. Because I felt very unsafe, I got rid of the car shortly after that incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car was driving fine one day and then while driving down the interstate I had the Pre collision system malfunction error, Brake light came on, Cruise will not operate, ABS light is on. After much research it seems Prius V has a common issue with brake booster faulting.

The headlights are either too bright or aimed poorly that it blinds oncoming traffic, who frequently flash their high beams at me. This occurs without any load in back and without me using the high beams. Can Toyota either adjust the bulbs or place a film on the headlights to prevent blinding oncoming traffic? Thank you!

Water pump failed without warning and caused irreparable damage to the engine ("blown" engine requiring replacement). Vehicle began to stall and not respond to attempted acceleration while traveling on 4 lane divided highway, 55 mph speed limit. One "Maintenance Required" message was received the previous week, but disappeared. This is the same message that appears for routine oil changes. No other warning messages were noted at the time of the incident, no unusual noises, and no smoke or other sign of overheating. Driver was able to steer vehicle to safety, but this failure could result in stranding on a busy, dangerous interstate highway. For such a critical piece of the vehicle (i.e., the water pump), there should be obvious warning message(s) and dedicated monitoring of the equipment.

Refer to TSB 0135-19 dealer denied repairing under the California emissions defect and performance warranty.

My car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road with message "Hybrid system stopped steering power low". Safety concern to this happen on the middle of road during rain or cold.

Driving on the freeway the car stalled and was unable to accelerate. The issue seems identical to the 2020 recall. 2020-06-23 Recall no. 20V369000 Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2013-2015 Prius and 2014-2017 Prius V vehicles not included in recall 18V-684. Excessive voltage in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM) within the inverter may cause the hybrid system to shut down, causing the vehicle to stall while being driven. I was told by the service center that my car is not on the recall list so they are unable to work it as a recall.

During summer months when temperatures are above 100 degrees when accelerating from a complete stop I can hear the engine rev and the RPMs increase but the vehicle will move at 1-2 mph. Even if the accelerator is to the floor. After 3-4 seconds the tires will squeal and the vehicle will be jolted forward then it will slowly accelerate. This happens occasionally and I have taken it to a Toyota dealership and a chain mechanic shop, neither have been able to recreate the problem. There are no warnings and no error codes. I have been stuck in the middle of intersections trying to turn left, I have not been hit, but I fear it will happen. There is a recall out for this issue on other Priuses and I believe the issue needs to be investigated further as there is another complaint on this site for the same issue and I have found it on other sites. I bought the car in fall of 2019 and this problem has been occurring since summer of 2020.

Paint is starting to peel around trunk, clear coat has peeled off of black triangle areas by rear passenger windows on both sides of vehicle. Other 2016 Prius have had a paint recall. My vehicle needs to be included in the recall.

We were driving in San Diego and had driven oven a bit pothole. About 50 miles after driving over the pothole, the brakes stopped working. We were pressing down hard on the brake, but the brake was soft and did not do its job. We almost rear ended the car in front of us. We brought the car right away to a close by auto shop and they said there were no leaks as the brake fluid was still close to the max and they did not find any indication of a brake fluid leak and sent us on our way. We are still unsure as to why the brake from this vehicle stopped.

While traveling on NHS CA 99 about 80 miles before taking exit 97, there were pieces of tire debri on the center lane. It couldn’t be spotted and my vehicle drove over it making a big thud sound. It shaked my vehicle and left my family scared. It could have been really dangerous if there was a vehicle right ahead or behind my car. This incident broke the front bumper and caused big dent on my right door. This is a big monetary hole in my pocket. This is big concern and should be immediately addressed to avoid incidents further. Kindly let me know if there is a way to file a claim with NHST

Starting in about 2019, the exterior black panel behind the rear right mirror began peeling. Soon, the blue exterior paint on the car began to show damaged spots, lining up with the parts of the car most exposed to the sun: the roof most of all, but the top panel behind the rear window and the top of the trunk showing signs of damage as well. The beginnings of this damage are also appearing on a couple of parts of the side doors, making it clear that the underlying problem applies to all of the blue exterior paint. It seems as if the exterior layer - some sort of sealant or finish - is not holding up properly in the sun. By contrast, our red-painted 2014 Prius, which has been exposed to the same conditions but for a longer period of time - shows none of this damage. The damage is quite extensive and visible, and it's unclear to what extent the protective qualities of the paint are now compromised. The service department at the dealership has inspected the paint, as has a third-party shop, and all agree that there is a serious paint problem. The issue is available for further inspection. The safety issue here is the potential for corrosion of the body due to the compromised paint integrity.

While driving vehicle on the freeway it stated braking power low, stop in a safe place, antilock brake system malfunction, pre-collision system malfunction, lane departure alert malfunction. I was almost in a major scary accident.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel stopped operating and the vehicle began to shut down. The contact stated that a yellow blinking light and a hybrid system malfunction warning light illuminated the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery was low and there was a failure of the engine wiring harness. The hybrid battery was able to recharge but the dealer stated that the electric wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,141.

Coolant is leaking. There were no indicator that coolant is low. Suddenly while trying to get on the freeway the car would not get up to speed regardless how much pressure was put on the pedals. On the way back home, all of a sudden the engine temperature light flashed on then off twice. The car operated like normal but it was still concerning and we had it checked out. Coolant was leaking but no where to be found? It seems Toyota had previous recalls where coolant was leaking into the engine. I think my model is also affected.

I reported issues with this car in 2018. Clicking sounds under the car which is still happening, peeling paint on exterior and inside door areas, substandard windshield that spread in a very unusual pattern when hit by a small rock. The NHTSA ID Number that was assigned to these complaints is [XXX] . None of these problems have been addressed. There are other owners that have experienced the same problems, apparently their issues have not been addressed. These problems should have been sent by you to the Toyota Corporation, but apparently was not. I have owned many Toyota vehicles and have not experienced these problems. I also own a 2012 Toyota Prius which I drive when I when I am traveling on the interstate, because I feel that the clicking noises on the 2016 Toyota Prius is a safety issue that seems to be coming from the steering section underneath the car. When traveling the speed limit on the on Interstate highways, what would be the outcome if the steering mechanisms underneath the car did not work properly. It is a shame that this safety issue has not been addressed by you, and it is also a shame that I have to drive my older toyota at these times to feel safer when driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

We were driving kids to camp and the thermometer light went on. It was blinking for a while, then turned off and then turned steadily on. We weren't sure what to do, so we called our trusty mechanic who said "bring it in right now." We did and it turned out that this was a broken head gasket. Our car is regularly maintained by a trusted Prius mechanic and has less than 78K miles, despite its age. From our mechanic: We found the engine coolant was low in the radiator. We filled the system and pressure-tested, found no external leaks. The thermostat and fans operate normally. We found 54 ppm HCs in the radiator initially, and after a test-drive we re-checked and found 110 ppm HC in the radiator. Combustion chamber gas is getting into the cooling system, typically a symptom of headgasket failure. The cylinder head needs to be removed to evaluate. FYI this is the first headgasket failure we have seen on the 4th gen Prius, but it is the same engine designation as the 3rd gen Prius, which has a pattern problem of headgasket failure. The expectation is that the failure is the same, but we need to open the engine to evaluate. Given the low mileage, it might be worth pushing Toyota for a goodwill warranty even though it is out of the official powertrain warranty period. I called Toyota and they refused to pass along a goodwill warranty.

Driving on freeway my prius V started shaking violently from what appeared to be overheating of water pump failure or the coolant invertor pump. I believe this to be a known issue Toyota is aware of when I took my Prius into Camelback Toyota in Phoenix they said they could not recreate the issues. I know this was powertrain failure that could have caused me to crash on the freeway.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Prius equipped with Cooper Tires, Tire Line: Mastercraft, Tire Size: 195/65/15, DOT Number: (Not Available). The contacted stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle began to violently shake and vibrated. After stopping to inspect the vehicle, it was discovered that the passenger’s side rear tire had experienced sidewall steel belt separation. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

On September 2022 (at 46K) Dealer did TSB related fix on my 2016 Prius. PFA for service record. They replaced Exhaust Front Pipe, which is suggested work from Toyota PFA for Toyota Technical Bulletin. T-SB-0135-19 At 51,747 on March 1st 2023 around 8 40 am, while we are driving on highway at 70 mph suddenly Check Engine Light, Coolant light, Hybrid related lights were on Vehicle lost the control, speed was dropping luckily we could safely stop the vehicle on the shoulder no Vehicle hit us from behind. Sudden stop of engine while driving on highway at 51K miles is safety issue. Toyota dealer could not provide additional details except Engine is over heating.